Through The Eyes of a Child
by Horky
Summary: Because Marlene is just that smart.


Through The Eyes of a Child

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_Post-Meteor_

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She hides behind the steps, curled up on her knees in the little nook. Her eyes are starting to get heavy, and her hair hangs loose around her face, the pink ribbon tied securely around her wrist for the night. She's a night owl, always has been, and always will. She always sneaks out of bed, whether for a few minutes or a few hours. It just depends, and it's also whether or not anything interesting is happening.

Denzel wouldn't come with her tonight, he was too tired, and in too much pain. She didn't bother to wake him up, and she figures he'll be angry at her for it tomorrow, but she knows he needs all the rest he can get. Even he knows it, but he would never admit it.

It's about a quarter to one when he enters at last. She watches with big, wide eyes as he stumbles through the doorway. It's always late now a days when Cloud gets home, as if he's avoiding the family. He stays out later and later, and she wonders if it's merely for delivering packages. She knows as well as everyone else that he can't say no to anyone. It's strange, really, she thinks. And he's strange right now, in the deep darkness of night.

He somehow makes it to the counter, where he barely is able to lay the keys to Fenrir there. He must be tired, by the sheer effort it seems for him to lift his hand just enough to slap the keys down. His hand rests there for a moment, eyes unseeing, as he gains his footing. He shakes his head once, trying to clear his eyes, before moving his foot. It connects with a stool, and sends it clattering to the ground. His hand drags across the counter top, the keys still trapped beneath it, as he tries to get his balance. His hand slips from the counter, and the keys clatter to the ground, unnoticed.

Marlene frowns. He always makes a lot of noise when he gets home this late. His boots always echo up the steps. She doesn't know if it's because the house is so quiet, or if he's just that much louder at night. She remembers how he normally is, during the day. He moves like a ghost; silent. One minute he's there, and then the next, he isn't. There isn't a trace of him, nor a path showing which way he might have gone. She always thought it strange how a man that big with a sword that heavy could move as if he was light as a feather, and make just as much noise, too.

At night though, everything weighs down on him, and makes him heavier it seems. She wonders if he sleeps when he's away. There are dark circles beneath his eyes, and his shoulders bend in towards his chest, as if there's an invisible weight pressing on his back. He pauses, leaning on an upright stool, and rubs his eyes.

Tifa doesn't sleep when he's away, or at least anytime Marlene's ever stuck her nose in her room, she isn't asleep. Of course, it seems to Marlene she isn't really awake, either. She goes through the motions of a sleeping person, turning this way and that, and her fists clinch together, her toes curl up, as if she's dreaming. But her eyes are always open, staring at the dim walls and ceiling. She doesn't go to bed to sleep, she goes to listen. She's laid so still before, Marlene doubted if she was breathing once. There have also been nights when Marlene has found her sitting curled up on her bed, the phone to her ear. Some nights they talk. Some nights they don't. Sometimes it's her that calls him, just to make sure he's okay. Sometimes it's him that calls, to make sure she's okay, that the 'family' is okay. It's more her that does the calling, though. And sometimes he doesn't answer. It's those nights, when she feels like giving up that he calls. He worries, because normally by now, she's called. It's nights like those that she gives up hope, and then finds it again.

He stumbles again, as he tries to move away from the bar. And then Tifa's there, her arms outstretched, and one hand lands on his back, the other on his chest. It's at night when Tifa is silent. Night time is when she moves like a ghost. It's night time when she and Cloud reverse personalities. However, the night also betrays Tifa. It's in this darkness, that one can see the hints of dark bags at her eyes, and creased eye lids. She looks like a skeleton, an illusion of bones, with her skin so pale in the dim night.

Cloud looks surprised to see her, although he shouldn't be. She gives a tiny smile, and doesn't say anything, merely guides him towards the steps, a sturdy hand still on his back.

Marlene thinks it's strange how the two react towards each other lately. They're so close, but they hold each other at such a respectful distance. She remembers the time before Meteor, before ShinRa had been taken down, before Sector 7 had been destroyed, before the Flower Girl had died. Back then, Cloud would've slung his arm around Tifa's shoulders, and let her drag him into a warm bed. Now, she holds him back as much as she's holding him up, it seems. There's space between their torsos, and Marlene figures it'd be much easier to have his weight leaning on her as a whole, than for her to carry him with just her arms. But Tifa or Cloud seems to have laid out boundaries that neither feel the need to cross, no matter how much they want to.

Tifa maneuvers him up the steps, an arm behind his back, the other braced against the wall to give extra leverage.

Marlene thinks of the time she overheard her father and Cid talking. It wasn't long after she'd asked her father if Tifa loved Cloud, and he had merely laughed. It had been a sad laugh though, Marlene could tell that much. In fact, it was that way that Barret had started the conversation. He had merely stated that Tifa loved Cloud, and Cid had given the sad laugh. They spoke of who Cloud was, now, and Barret had remarked he couldn't see how Tifa could love a broken shell of a man like that. Cid stated that he believed it was the old Cloud Tifa loved. And which Barret promptly replied that it didn't matter who Cloud was, that Tifa would always love him. But the problem wasn't Tifa loving Cloud; it was whether or not Cloud loved Tifa. The feelings were so unclear, and messages were mixed, and Marlene believed that not even Cloud knew whether or not he loved Tifa.

Tifa pulls Cloud up the last step, and stumbles and hits the wall. It wakes Cloud a little, but not much. He tries to help her push off the wall, but looses his balance, careening dangerously backwards. Tifa reaches out, grabbing his wrist, and finally conceding to throw Cloud's arm over her shoulders. Marlene tiptoes up the stairs warily after them. Lying down on her belly on the steps, she peers up at them, watching as Tifa drags the near unconscious form of Cloud down the hallway. She's surprised Denzel didn't come out of the room when Tifa hit the wall, but she remembers he's sick. Sometimes it's easy to forget, other times, not so much.

She's seen a lot of sickness and a lot of death and destruction in her short life. She remembers when Tifa brought Cloud back to the bar the first time, when he was sick. It's very vague, she had been little, but she still remembers. She remembers that despite the fact that Cloud and Tifa had lost a lot of people they loved, that the planet was in danger of dying, the two were happy. On more than one occasion she remembers watching them at the old Seventh Heaven in Sector 7 speaking at night alone. She had wanted that back, but it seemed that it wasn't coming back, or at least not for a while.

Tifa braces herself against the wall, Cloud leaning on her, and manages to twist the door knob, and kick the door open softly. Marlene follows quickly as soon as they were through the doorway. Peering through the doorway, she watches as Tifa deposits Cloud on his bed, where he sat, motionless. She pulls off his boots, and then gives a heavy sigh, sitting down beside of him. She says nothing, and he says nothing, they merely sit.

Then he's slowly leaning over, and his head bumps against her. She remains sitting up though, and it almost appears as if Cloud's fallen asleep. But he hasn't, his eyes are wide open for the first time tonight, and he's sitting, shoulder to shoulder, head to head, with Tifa. Tifa doesn't respond, she merely sits, and maybe Cloud just hasn't realized he's leaned over. Except he wraps his arms around her tiny form, and squeezes her, and holds her close. It isn't much, and Tifa doesn't seem to respond to his touch, as if she's emotionless and trying to remain numb. Like she's Cloud, and he's Tifa. But then she sighs, and visibly relaxes. She's afraid, Marlene can tell. Tifa's afraid to believe that this actually means something and that maybe everything will turn out okay in the end. She's afraid to think it, but that doesn't stop her from thinking it.

And it's here Marlene leaves the two, moving quickly and quietly back to her bed. She knows that after this, maybe a few boring words will be exchanged, or maybe not. At least, they're boring to Marlene, and she doesn't always understand what they're talking about. They'll probably end up falling asleep like that, and either they'll wake up together, blushing and fumbling, or Cloud will be gone before Tifa has even stirred. Marlene figures it'll probably be the latter of the two.

But they've both happened before, so who's to say what will happen this time.

All Marlene knows is that she's concluded something yet again after her night of watchfulness. Even if Cloud doesn't realize it or every will, Marlene does. She realizes that despite all his callousness, and his cold hearted behavior, he's still got a soft-side to him; a soft-side that emerges in the deep of night, and betrays all his defenses that he builds to keep the world out.

He can't keep Tifa out, because he loves her.

**A/N: **Because lets face it: Marlene _is_ the smartest person ever...and I was just being contemplative...this is before AC


End file.
